Chapter 63

Mr. Lin, who happened to be coming downstairs, was also taken aback by the scene. Did Yang Liming send a car to pick up Yang Yunran? How ostentatious, with so many bodyguards!

Today, there were some artists gathering for a meal nearby. They pointed at the boy surrounded by bodyguards and speculated, “Is that boy, who is wearing a hat and a mask, Haliyeh? That masked singer? I heard Mr. Lin likes him a lot and has meals with him alone.”

“Does he have a background? Isn’t he from a butcher’s family? This car is worth nearly ten million, right? Rumor has it that he’s President Lin’s nephew. Could it be true?”

“Is this faceless online singer so powerful? If he’s so powerful, why is he doing live streaming?” A group of people leaned over the railing, looking down and checking the car’s model and price.

They sighed, “Another rich guy is joining the circle, the prince of Wanyan.”

Paparazzi, who was there to shoot other artists, quickly swarmed. Even though they didn’t recognize him, this outfit definitely belonged to a big star!

So they took a bunch of photos like crazy!

Yang Yunran sensitively noticed this. He lowered his head and said softly to Jiang Yi, “Someone is taking pictures. Don’t get out of the car. I’ll take my… family member’s car. They’ll take me back.”

Jiang Yi glanced at the rearview mirror and also noticed the nearby paparazzi cars. He frowned and said, “I still have something to ask you.”

Yang Yunran thought about how the original owner might be two-timing, dating two Evans. Jiang Yi was probably not the scumbag from the book because Jiang Yi often said he didn’t intend to enter the entertainment industry. But now he has come to audition for his MV male lead.

Yang Yunran was a bit unsure about this. He also had something to ask Jiang Yi.

“Let’s talk later. I’ll hang up first.” Yang Yunran greeted Mr. Lin behind him and bent down to get into the car.

Mr. Lin craned his neck to look and exchanged with Zhou Kai beside him, “Is that Chairman Yang?”

Zhou Kai: “I guess it is. So rich, I remember this car is very expensive.”

They couldn’t see the man’s face clearly in the car.

They all thought it was Yang Liming. They vaguely remembered seeing photos online, recalling that he was a pretty unpretentious industrialist. Such a grand departure.

At the moment the car door opened, Zhou Kai caught a glimpse of the man’s high-end bespoke suit, the exquisite fabric, and the poised demeanor. He secretly admired the taste of the wealthy.

It seemed they really couldn’t afford to offend Yang Yunran.

Xu Xing was in the car. Both were in the back seat. Yang Yunran sat with a restrained posture. Xu Xing chatted with him about his past life, saying, “The truth about being swapped at birth has almost been fully investigated. The family that raised you all these years had decent living conditions. Dad will compensate them. As for your future, Dad will take full responsibility and make sure you live better than before.”

Yang Yunran put his phone in his pocket and said it didn’t matter. He had been self-reliant since childhood, never depending on others, and had still gotten by.

So he didn’t expect the original owner’s father to give him a great future or a great life.

It was optional. They could maintain a relationship, but money was unnecessary.

Xu Xing didn’t force Yang Yunran verbally. He first had the driver take him to his current residence.

“I have a recording session tomorrow,” Yang Yunran said as he got out of the car. “You should be very busy with work. You don’t actually have to stay here. I have an assistant to take care of my daily life, and I’m not living in poverty.”

Xu Xing said, “I will fly to Toronto in a few days to see your mother. The surgery date is very close. I want you to go to Toronto with me before the surgery. If you can make time, let Dad know in advance. Dad will arrange the flight for you.”

Yang Yunran nodded and said okay, but he could still afford the plane ticket himself. He said, “I am an adult now, over eighteen years old. Actually, neither you nor mother has any obligation to support me anymore.”

Xu Xing gave him a slight smile and said, “I am simply doing my best as a father, trying to do good for you in my own way. I won’t cause you any trouble.”

“Alright… thank you,” Yang Yunran said as he pulled the car door open and got out. “I’m going home now, goodbye… You don’t need to see me off. I’ll be at the elevator, it’s quite safe here.”

Calling someone he had just met “Dad” still felt awkward for him, so Yang Yunran rarely said it.

Xu Xing noticed this sense of distance and thought that Yunran was a polite and good child, different from what he had read in the files. As for his somewhat distant attitude, Xu Xing didn’t mind; he believed that feelings developed over time through interaction.

Once Yang Yunran entered the elevator, Xu Xing instructed the driver to drive out of the underground parking lot.

He continued reviewing his documents.

He had read part of them on the plane in the afternoon, but his secretary had just sent another part.

From the front seat, the secretary informed him, ” Xu Dong, we recently discovered that when he was three years old, he was involved in a car accident and underwent an eye removal surgery, which caused a drastic change in his personality, turning him into a troubled teenager.”

Xu Xing’s expression turned cold. “What was the cause of the accident? Who was responsible?”

The secretary replied, “At that time… the person driving was Professor Chen Fangzhou. He was driving on a road without surveillance cameras and collided head-on with a vehicle going the wrong way. Over the years, the offending vehicle was never found. As a result, Professor Chen bore a significant portion of Yang Shaoye’s medical expenses, including the expensive prosthetic eyes that need to be replaced every two years at a cost of millions.”

Xu Xing liked Yunran very much, especially after meeting him and discovering that he was gentle, mild-mannered, and somewhat introverted, and even called him “Dad.”

Even if it was only once.

Xu Xing even considered turning back now to check on Yang Yunran again.

He felt that Yang Yunran had truly suffered. If he had grown up with Wanyu, he would have been a healthy, handsome young man without any psychological issues.

However, going back and knocking on the door now would likely be too sudden for the child. Xu Xing tapped his fingers on the car’s central armrest and said, “Continue investigating the vehicle involved in the accident. I want to find the culprit.”

The secretary nodded. “However, since he quit the entertainment industry last year and went to study in the United States, he has become an online singer, gaining many fans and positive reviews. Yang Shaoye’s psychological state also seems to be improving steadily.”

Yang Yunran’s personality change was abrupt and seemed somewhat extreme. In the brief separator in the files, he suddenly transformed from a school bully and poor student into a smart kid who loved learning and was well-liked by teachers and classmates.

The secretary hesitated again and then added, “Also, Chairman Xu, the young master… is gay and has had quite a few boyfriends.”

Hearing this, Xu Xing’s eyebrows furrowed.

—

Yang Yunran had been exhausted all day. When he got home, Doudou brought the dog back. “Brother Ran, you have a recording tomorrow. You should get some rest early.”

Yang Yunran didn’t even shower. He just washed his face and collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep.

As Doudou was leaving, she encountered Jiang Yi in the elevator. She was startled and couldn’t help but stare at his face.

Jiang Yi asked, “Hello, what’s the password for the house?”

Doudou replied, “Brother Ran’s house? I can’t tell you! You… handsome guy, although I don’t know your relationship, barging in like this is very abrupt. Besides, Brother Ran is already asleep. If you knock, you’ll disturb his rest. He has a recording session early tomorrow.”

Jiang Yi didn’t go upstairs.

He went back to his car and sent a message to Yang Yunran.

“Is your body still hurting?”

“It looked a bit red when you left. I bought some medicine. I can apply it for you.”

“Are you asleep?”

Three minutes later.

Jiang Yi said, “Talk to me when you wake up.”

“The electric piano you asked me to bring last time has arrived in Beijing. Where do you live? I’ll have the courier deliver it first.”

—

Yang Yunran slept until seven in the morning. He had a recording session early in the day. The program team’s car came to pick him up. When Yang Yunran got in the car, his throat hurt a bit, and he felt weak.

Jiang Yi hadn’t actually used much force. It had been enjoyable, but why was he so tired…

He noticed the change in vehicles and asked Doudou, “What’s with the car? Why did it become such a large nanny car?”

“I’m not sure,” Doudou said. “I saw it here when I arrived this morning. I asked the driver, and he said it was to take you to the recording. Maybe the program team arranged it? Maybe they reassessed your status? Our fan count has gone up, so we’ve leveled up?” Doudou looked delighted.

“That can’t be…” Generally, singers don’t have such high status, and only superstars would get such a luxurious nanny car. Yang Yunran thought of the father who appeared last night.

Was it Xu Xing’s doing?

Yang Yunran replied to Xu Xing’s concerned message in a very official manner: “Thank you for your concern. I slept very well last night. How about you? I’m quite busy with work today, so I might not have much time to check my phone. By the way, was the nanny car arranged by you?”

Xu Xing replied that it was and hoped that Yang Yunran wouldn’t find it abrupt. He just wanted him to be more comfortable, so he arranged the car and driver.

Yang Yunran had no choice but to thank him.

Then Yang Yunran saw Jiang Yi’s messages on his phone.

He stared at the messages for a while and replied:

“It’s swollen. I used erythromycin, but it still hurts.”

“I’m going to record now. I’ll reply to you later.”

Just as Yang Yunran was about to turn off his phone, Jiang Yi’s message came through.

Jiang Yi: “How swollen? Are you still going to work like this? Have you measured your temperature?”

Jiang Yi: “Sorry, I’ll be gentler next time.”

Yang Yunran’s lips curved into a slight smile. Doudou noticed his lovey-dovey expression from the corner of her eye, which was different from the previously dejected Brother Ran.

Is he chatting with the handsome guy who stole the dog?

Then Jiang Yi, without waiting for Yang Yunran to reply, asked him, “Does your ex-boyfriend have the same English name as me?”

Yang Yunran’s expression froze.

To be honest, he suspected he might have gotten something wrong. There were two known ex-boyfriends, one already in the entertainment industry and one on its fringes.

Their names were quite similar!

Given Zhao Youmo’s current trajectory of being controlled by the plot and heading down the path of a face-slapping story, there is a high likelihood that one of Yang Yunran’s two ex-boyfriends will become Zhao Youmo’s sycophant.

Yang Yunran thought that Jiang Yifan seemed like the type who would become a sycophant chasing after resources, always professing deep love and saying things like “I love you” with great passion, despite only having met twice and not even seeing his real face without the mask.

On the other hand, Jiang Yi seemed too arrogant to be a sycophant.

Yang Yunran decided not to respond to Jiang Yi’s question about whether his ex-boyfriend was also named Evan. If he said yes, Jiang Yi would get angry; if he said no, it would feel like lying.

Up to now, he hadn’t been able to get in touch with Jiang Yifan, despite having accepted his WeChat request and even calling him twice, but Jiang Yifan hadn’t answered.

Yang Yunran asked his assistant, “Doudou, do you know Jiang Yifan well? What has he been up to recently?”

“Not very well… I’ve only seen him a few times at the company. He’s so handsome!!”

Yang Yunran questioned, “Handsome…?”

Doudou immediately replied, “Not as handsome as you, of course!”

Yang Yunran said, “I need to talk to him.”

Doudou was taken aback, “What for? We met his manager last time, didn’t we? Sister Du, I have her WeChat. Should I send it to you?”

Yang Yunran agreed and quickly got in touch with Du Jie, learning that Jiang Yifan was at the TV station and arranging to meet in the cafeteria later.

After turning off his phone and arriving at the TV station, Yang Yunran went straight to the rehearsal.

The process was the same as usual, and during the formal recording, he was criticized by mentor Tang Wenqiang for things like being off-key and needing improvement, with condescending comments about his progress.

Yang Yunran endured it for the sake of earning money and didn’t retaliate.

After half a day of recording, Yang Yunran was drenched in sweat. By ten-thirty at night, the recording had finally ended. Yang Yunran found Jiang Yifan’s manager, Xiao Du, through WeChat.

He contacted her as Yang Yunran, who had just signed with the company and was preparing to re-enter the entertainment industry.

So Yang Yunran only wore a hat and didn’t wear a mask.

He usually didn’t wear any accessories and dressed simply, but he wasn’t sure if she would recognize him as Harry Yeye.

Xiao Du’s first words when she saw him were, “Wow, you’re so handsome, Mr. Yang.”

“Doudou, you’re so lucky to work with such a talented singer as Yeye and such a handsome artist as Mr. Yang.”

Doudou awkwardly smiled from the side.

Yang Yunran guessed that Xiao Du might have recognized him but didn’t reveal it because of company confidentiality requirements.

The female manager asked him, “Mr. Yang, is there something urgent you need? Is there anything I can help you with?”

Yang Yunran nodded, “I need to talk to Jiang Yifan. You’re his manager, right?”

“Yes, just call me Xiao Du.” Xiao Du, who knew they had dated, had already asked Jiang Yifan the day before. She said, “Yifan is currently in a special situation… He’s in closed training for an S-level project audition. The boss said if he doesn’t prepare well, he’ll lose the role, so they’ve confiscated his devices to prevent outside contact.”

Yang Yunran said, “No wonder I couldn’t reach him… I see. Can I go with you to see him later?”

Xiao Du responded, “Uh, he was sent back to Beijing last night for the training. I have other artists recording here, so I didn’t leave. How about I ask the boss? If it’s urgent, I can pass a message?”

Yang Yunran said, “It feels like a prison visit… It’s fine, I don’t need to see him. If it’s convenient, arrange a phone call. Thank you.” He nodded politely.

Xiao Du’s good impression of him soared. He was not only handsome and polite but also a super-rich second-generation with talent and looks, a rarity in the entertainment industry.

When Yang Yunran left the TV station, he saw both the nanny car arranged by his father and the Buick rented by Jiang Yi.

He really wondered if Jiang Yi had nothing else to do and had been here for several days just to block him.

Yang Yunran hesitated for a moment, then told the driver to take Doudou and the dog home, and got into Jiang Yi’s car.

He couldn’t keep ignoring him.

“Finished recording?” Jiang Yi didn’t rush to start the car. He unbuckled his seatbelt and reached out to touch Yang Yunran’s forehead to check his temperature.

Yang Yunran turned his head away and asked, “What are you doing?”

Jiang Yi’s dark eyes gazed at him, “I read online that high-intensity sex can cause a fever. I’m checking your temperature.”

“I’m fine… It wasn’t that intense.” Yang Yunran, despite yearning for his touch, still moved away. Especially since Jiang Yi’s fingers were close to his eyes, he closed them slightly.

“Is that so… Later, take off your pants, and let me see if you need medicine.” Jiang Yi picked up a bag from the pharmacy, “I bought it last night. When I went to find you, you were already asleep.”

Yang Yunran turned his face away and said, “I know how to apply it myself.”

Jiang Yi touched his hair and said, “Be good. Is your dad at home?”

“No, he’s not. He went back to Canada today.”

Yang Yunran had been busy all afternoon and hadn’t had time to reply to messages. Honestly, he didn’t know how to deal with his biological parents and could only try to be friendly, but he didn’t seek to build a deep emotional bond.

Jiang Yi made a sound of acknowledgment and took out some street food, “Did you mention me?”

Yang Yunran asked, “What’s this? Why would I mention you?” It was his first time meeting his dad; why would he mention his ex-boyfriend?

“Grilled cold noodles, in case you’re hungry.” Jiang Yi maintained his stern expression and continued questioning, “What’s the deal with your ex named Evan? When I asked, you didn’t reply. Yang Yunran, do you have a thing for guys named Evan?”

Yang Yunran didn’t like his tone.

He could have not answered…

After all, he did buy him a late-night snack…

Yang Yunran took a bite. It was delicious.

He spent half a minute thinking about how to respond, glanced at the expressionless Jiang Yi, and then mumbled, “Actually, he’s not my ex… I don’t have a special preference; our relationship is a bit complicated.”

“How complicated?” Jiang Yi admitted that he was a bit aggressive, but couldn’t control himself, saying coldly, “He’s not as handsome as me.”

Yang Yunran rubbed his forehead. “He’s not as handsome as you… Jiang Yi, how did you know his name? I only just found out myself. You’re really well-informed, knowing where I work and eat. Did you hack my phone?”

Jiang Yi had only put a GPS collar on the dog.

“Explain what you mean by ‘just found out.’ You didn’t know him before? Then how did we start? Online dating?”

“Maybe, I said it’s complicated…” Yang Yunran couldn’t clarify if he was two-timing or if he was dating both, but the original’s deep love for Jiang Fan, who ultimately abandoned him.

What role did Jiang Yi play in this?

Yang Yunran remembered that when he first entered the book, he argued with Jiang Yi. Was Jiang Yi just someone who was dumped shortly after their relationship started, and didn’t appear in the book again?

But why would a minor character have such good looks? Jiang Yi was described as the most handsome person in the whole book, what a bug.

Yang Yunran didn’t understand, staring at Jiang Yi’s well-defined profile, a bit lost, and asked, “Jiang Yi, do you remember why we first argued?”

Jiang Yi raised an eyebrow. “How long ago do you mean by ‘first’?”

Yang Yunran said, “Last… December?” He had just arrived for a day or two, preparing for a hearing, and after hearing Zhao Youmo describe their boyfriends, he went to the life sciences lab at MIT to find Jiang Yi, who always resisted his closeness.

Jiang Yi: “That time? I forgot to pick you up at the airport.” He had a good memory. “You came to Boston for school, your flight landed at 6:20 PM, and I was busy in the lab. It wasn’t really a fight, you just unilaterally blocked me.”

Yang Yunran continued with his questions, “Then what was our relationship at that time?”

Jiang Yi: “Never met.”

Jiang Yi added, “In China, in the teacher’s lab, maybe we met a few times.”

Yang Yunran frowned slightly, “It started in China? Did you chase me or did I chase you?” He quickly asked questions he usually avoided to prevent slipping up.

Jiang Yi glanced at him and finally started the car. “You chased me. I think that’s how it was.”

Yang Yunran, with chili oil and cilantro on the corners of his mouth, said, “I chased you…?” He looked up at the cold and handsome Jiang Yi, who was very proud. The original owner might indeed have made the first move, Yang Yunran said, “Okay then, what month was it?”

Jiang Yi turned his head slightly. “Are you testing me? Will passing the test mean we can get back together?”

Yang Yunran: “Just answer the question, no more nonsense!”

Jiang Yi: “It was from December to March.”

Yang Yunran’s pursuit overwhelmed Jiang Yi, who thought he was loved dearly by a young man. Being dumped by Yang Yunran was unexpected, he had pushed aside many things to come after him.

“December to March… from last December to this March?” Yang Yunran almost dropped the sausage he was eating.

Jiang Yi, in a brief pause in driving, reached out to remove the cilantro from the corner of his mouth and said, “What else? Eat slowly.”

Jiang Yi didn’t like cilantro, so he threw it away. Looking ahead, his voice was calm, “Tell me about your ex, Evan. Did you chase him or did he chase you?”

Yang Yunran was stunned, “No…”

Yang Yunran needed to breathe, his mind blank, “I chased you for over three months? I didn’t chase you! How could I chase a man?!”

Jiang Yi nodded, “You did, you won’t admit it? To be precise, it was 103 days…” He glanced at Yang Yunran, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t admit it, I’ll say I chased you.”

“I really didn’t chase you, it’s not about admitting or not, it just didn’t happen.” Yang Yunran confirmed again, “When did we start dating the first time?”

“Still testing me? March 28th of this year, at 3:27 PM. Exactly fifteen seconds shy of 3:28.” Jiang Yi tilted his head. “Do you have any doubts about this date?”